ERC-8004 in Context: From Trust Fabric to Execution Fabric (Draft)
ERC-8004 defines a trust fabric for autonomous agents by standardizing how agents can be discovered, identified, and validated across organizations without pre-existing trust.
However, the standard stops short of execution. It specifies who an agent is, why they might be trusted, and where validation records live—but not how tasks are executed or verified.
Cortensor supplies this missing execution layer. By routing inference workloads across decentralized nodes and attaching verifiable proofs, Cortensor provides the how + proof that complements ERC-8004’s who + why.
References:
ERC-8004 EIP: https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8004
A2A Protocol overview (Google): https://developers.googleblog.com/en/a2a-a-new-era-of-agent-interoperability/
A2A Extensions (Google): https://developers.googleblog.com/en/a2a-extensions-empowering-custom-agent-functionality/
A2A Intro Codelab: https://codelabs.developers.google.com/intro-a2a-purchasing-concierge
Ethereum Magicians Discussion: https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/erc-8004-trustless-agents/25098 and https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/erc-8004-trustless-agents/25098?page=2
What ERC-8004 Defines
Identity Registry – establishes agent identity across organizations.
Reputation Registry – records why an agent is trustworthy (history, endorsements, scores).
Validation Registry – anchors validation events on-chain for transparency.
The EIP explicitly leaves application logic off-chain: execution, inference, and verification methods are not specified. Validation is just a minimal on-chain record — it could be powered by a TEE attestor, a stake committee, or even a single centralized judge.
Where Cortensor Fits
1. From Trust → Execution with Proofs
Identity / Reputation (ERC-8004) → Job Admission (Cortensor) Cortensor routers can check ERC-8004 identity/reputation as a policy input before dispatching tasks.
Validation (ERC-8004) → Proof of Inference (Cortensor) After execution, Cortensor can emit verifiable artifacts (e.g., output hashes, PoI/PoUW receipts) and anchor those references to the ERC-8004 Validation registry.
2. Turning Registries into a Compute Market
Cortensor routes workloads across heterogeneous hardware (edge devices → GPU clusters).
Results are verified via Proof of Inference (PoI) and Proof of Useful Work (PoUW).
Outcomes and verifier assessments can be written back to ERC-8004 Reputation to update credibility with evidence.
3. Policy & Reliability Beyond Spec
ERC-8004 is minimal by design. Cortensor enforces off-chain policies — SLA, model/version allowlists, latency/energy thresholds — while anchoring validation signals on-chain.
This respects the EIP’s minimalism while delivering real-world reliability.
Centralized Judge vs. Cortensor Validator
Validation Mode
How It Works
Limitations
Cortensor Alternative
Centralized Judge
A single entity (or LLM API) decides if results are valid and writes to Validation registry
Bottlenecked, trust rests in one provider
Tasks routed across many nodes, results verified via PoI/PoUW
TEE Attestor
Hardware enclave attests to output correctness
Requires hardware trust & supply-chain guarantees
Verifiable inference without hardware lock-in
Stake Committee
Group of stakers validate and write to registry
Can be captured or cartelized
Open, decentralized miner/oracle network with cryptographic proofs
Key point: ERC-8004 doesn’t force which “judge” is used. Cortensor provides a trustless, decentralized judge, ensuring validation is both distributed and verifiable.
Mental Model
ERC-8004 = Trust Fabric: identity, reputation, validation registries.
Cortensor = Execution Fabric: routing, inference, verification, privacy.
Loop: Who + Why (ERC-8004) → How + Proof (Cortensor) → Updated Reputation (ERC-8004).
Why It Matters
Without Cortensor, ERC-8004-enabled agents could still rely on centralized inference providers, leaving the “last mile” centralized.
With Cortensor:
Inference is decentralized and verifiable.
Results are tied back to ERC-8004 registries for trust anchoring.
Agents don’t just interoperate—they execute and prove work trustlessly.
This unlocks a true agent economy, where identity, execution, and reputation are fully linked.
Developer Integration Pattern (Conceptual)
Read Identity/Reputation from ERC-8004.
Route Task through Cortensor’s decentralized inference fabric.
Generate Proofs (PoI receipts, PoUW quality scores).
Anchor Validation back into ERC-8004’s Validation registry.
This pattern ties on-chain trust directly to off-chain execution and verification.
⚠️ Status: ERC-8004 is about a month old and under active community discussion. Cortensor’s execution layer is not part of the spec but provides a practical path to close the trust → execution loop with verifiable inference.
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